Best way to approach potential neighbours about tree problem

Mister_Arboreal

Hi,
I have had an offer accepted on a semi-detached house and have have a homebuyers survey done.

The survey has pointed out that the house is built on land that has a clay sub-soil, and that the attached semi has a significant number of quite large trees close to the property, that might cause a subsidence risk.

The trees are roughly as tall as the house are located about 1-2m from the house I am hoping to buy.

Having spoken with the surveyor further, they said that, at current height, the trees could possibly cause subsidence if there was an extended period of drought (similar to that in the late 80s/early 90s), and that the risk would increase as the trees grew higher. Given that we might easily own the house for 30-40 years, it is not hard to imagine that we might encounter similar weather again.

They suggested that, if the trees were gradually cut down to "hedge height", then the risk should disappear.

I think that I need to address this with the neighbours to see if they would be happy for the trees to be reduced in height, but I am not sure how best to approach them.

I believe that they could be a fairly elderly couple, and it may be that they have simply let the trees grow, rather than actually wanting them to grow that high.

I would appreciate any thoughts on how best to approach them, as the vendor has not beebn very forthcoming about speaking with them. I thought perhaps a note to them, requesting to speak to them, might be a good start, rather than just turning up on their doorsteps (especially if they are quite elderly).

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

pimento

Knock on their door, smile, say you're thinking about buying the house next door. Ask them about the neighbourhood, the other neighbours, let them know how nice and quiet you are and then ask about the trees.

gooner63_2

On a quiet Sunday afternoon.....when they are pottering in the garden.....swing out of the offending trees in a loincloth.....making the loudest Tarzan noise you can......and just grunt "I can't help doing it"........this then makes the trees a problem to them.....should be gone by the end of the week.....!

dodger1

Tell them about the survey and offer to pay to have the trees cut back. If they are not obliging, move on.

Fire_Fox

A note through the door would be nice, be sure they are the owners and not the tenants. But remember a verbal agreement is not worth the paper it is written on, DO NOT cut down someone else's trees without written consent of the homeowner. Also get in writing what they want you to do with the branches: technically they are the property of the neighbouring house, but obviously most people would not want to be left with the mess.

dimbo61

Cutting down or reducing the size of trees which are already at HOUSE HIGHT is not a simple, easy or cheap job ( I know)
You need to get a firm in to reduce the size and cut down the branches to wood chip ( think £500/600 depending on number of trees)
Now if you want the trees removing then you also need the tree stumps digging out with a machine ( more cost)
The neighbours will gain a bigger garden and you won't have a huge tree wall 6 feet from your home

Mojisola

Mister_Arboreal wrote: »

The trees are roughly as tall as the house are located about 1-2m from the house I am hoping to buy.

Having spoken with the surveyor further, they said that, at current height, the trees could possibly cause subsidence if there was an extended period of drought (similar to that in the late 80s/early 90s), and that the risk would increase as the trees grew higher. Given that we might easily own the house for 30-40 years, it is not hard to imagine that we might encounter similar weather again.

They suggested that, if the trees were gradually cut down to "hedge height", then the risk should disappear.

dimbo61 wrote: »

Cutting down or reducing the size of trees which are already at HOUSE HIGHT is not a simple, easy or cheap job ( I know)

You need to get a firm in to reduce the size and cut down the branches to wood chip ( think £500/600 depending on number of trees)

Now if you want the trees removing then you also need the tree stumps digging out with a machine ( more cost)

The neighbours will gain a bigger garden and you won't have a huge tree wall 6 feet from your home

Agree with dimbo about the work involved.

Puzzled by the surveyor's idea of cutting them back to "hedge height". Don't the trees have big trunks? They're not going to disappear and some trees won't send out new growth, even if the tops are cut down.

What kind of trees are they?

Mister_Arboreal

Thank to everyone for the great advice so far. I've addressed a couple of points below.

Mojisola wrote: »

Puzzled by the surveyor's idea of cutting them back to "hedge height". Don't the trees have big trunks? They're not going to disappear and some trees won't send out new growth, even if the tops are cut down.

What kind of trees are they?

They are some species of conifer, although I am not sure exactly which type, and they do have fairly big trunks, although probably not as big as many other trees of the same height.

Hugh_Pender wrote: »

OMG! I would withdraw the offer. You're in a no-win position, removing the trees could easily cause 'heave' which is just as bad as subsidence.

It's a buyers market, so only proceed with a huge discount on the price.

The surveyor did mention the possibility of heave, and suggested that having the size reduced gradually would prevent that.

I do wonder whether I should bring in a tree expert to have a look, as the surveyor was clear that he was not himself an expert.

pimento

What does the vendor say about the tree problem? What does s/he say the neighbours are like?

Ivana_Tinkle

Every time I've tried to prune a conifer, it's been such a disaster that I've ended up removing the tree. You just end up cutting off all the green bits and exposing the dead wood inside.

I'm fairly sure you won't be able to get them down to 6 feet or so (assuming that's what "hedge height" means) once they've been allowed to grow as tall as a house - you'd just have bare trunks left - and doing it gradually would mean that you'd have years of them looking absolutely awful.

It might be sensible to talk to a tree surgeon and, if pruning isn't a realistic option, then ring the surveyor again and see what they suggest. (ie would leaving them alone be less risky then removing them.) I'd only speak to next door at that point, when you're sure of what you want them to do.

System

The last person you should be talking to about large conifers in clay soil is a surveyor.

Get hold of a good tree surgeon/arborist and find out their opinion.